The Dawn of Consequence
by Sarah August
Summary: Elijah and Elena adjust to married life. It becomes clear that Elena will have to make a choice to help protect their son. All choices have consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The Dawn of Consequence

**Summary: **The story begins one year after Dawn of Tomorrow. This is the fifth story in my Dawn series. Elena and Elijah are adjusting to married life again with their human son. It becomes more apparent of how dangerous it is for Elena to remain human. In order to help protect her son will she choose to give up her humanity? Every choice has a consequence.

**Notes: **This is the fifth story in my Dawn series. I do suggest reading Dawn of Tomorrow before reading this story if you have never read any of the series before.

**Disclaimer: **The Vampire Diaries and it's characters belong to their respective owners.

**Author: **Sarah August

**Chapter 1**

Elena Gilbert couldn't help but smile at the picture before her. Her husband was sitting on the floor beside their son, watching Lyric play his Wii. It was a baseball game and Elijah seemed to wonder how their son kept being able to hit an invisible ball. He'd stare into the air, wondering how their son was able to hit something that wasn't there. Elena laughed when Elijah took the remote from Lyric, trying to figure out the game with their son's instruction.

They had lived peacefully like this for almost a year now in Mystic Falls. Elijah had fit into the role of daddy with complete perfection. Little Alaric had quickly come to adore his father and the love that Elijah had for their son couldn't be more obvious.

Elijah had agreed to tone down the use of his vampire abilities in front of Lyric. He no longer fetched the newspaper within the time of an eye blink from the mail box. He no longer gathered the dishes for Elena faster than she could pick up one cup. She wanted to tell Lyric about vampires and the other things that were also very real in Mystic Falls, but she had made Elijah promise to wait until Lyric was at least a teenager.

Elena feared that the normalcy of his childhood would be sacrificed before he was ready. Despite being the son of an original vampire and the doppelganger, Lyric still had failed to display any unnatural abilities. He was still simply a little human boy who loved his parents and enjoyed having his family together.

Elijah admired the way that Elena had told Lyric about their late daughter Claudia. She had become ill and died before she could get better. She failed to tell Lyric why their daughter had become sick. That would hopefully be something he never found out about. It would lead him to Klaus and he had so far stayed away from Mystic Falls. Elijah knew that his brother would be in contact soon though. Elena was still human and their son was of her blood. He would try and use them both to get his hybrids going again. Claudia, who had been the natural daughter of Klaus, would not be enough to make Klaus stop.

Elijah put away the Wii remote after shutting down the game. It was time to take Lyric to his tutor who would be waiting for him in the guest house on the property. It was a property he had purchased for them outside of Mystic Falls shortly after reuniting with Elena. They had decided together to get a tutor for their son after Klaus had kidnapped him several months ago on his first day of school.

Elijah put on a blue colored t-shirt that he had left on the sofa and then proceeded to kiss Elena before heading out of their house with Lyric. He had taken Lyric to his tutor every school day in case Klaus had anymore ideas of trying to snatch his son. Elena, no longer a hybrid, would not be able to defend either Lyric or herself if confronted with his brother.

Lyric's real name was Alaric, named in honor of Elena's former history teacher and one time would-be uncle. Lyric had been a nickname given to him by Alaric Saltzman's children.

They arrived to the guest house after walking through the forest. Lyric's teacher was an old friend of Elijah's. Louis Merrick. An immortal, but not a vampire or werewolf. Louis had been the victim of a vengeful witch in the year of 1783. He had married her and then proceeded sleeping with her nineteen year old younger sister. The witch had cursed him with immortality after killing her sister so that he could live forever knowing her sisters death was on his hands. An innocent, defenseless, dimwit of a woman who had known no better.

Lyric always left his father reluctantly, fearing that he would somehow vanish into thin air again. Elijah always encouraged his son forward, telling him he'd be there when it was time to go home.

Elijah went back to the house using his vampire speed, never being able to wait long to be back with Elena. He always longed for her touch, her kiss in the morning.

He had managed to grab wild flowers on a hill and gave them to her. She beamed at him while putting away another dish and accepted them while falling into his chest for a long, lingering kiss. "I missed you, you know that?" She teased him, grinning.

"It is always too long a walk in the forest," Elijah confessed, excitedly gathering her into his arms while she wrapped her legs around him, lost in another long kiss.

They encouraged Lyric's lessons to be at the guest house to give Lyric a sense of still going to school like other children his age. Elena teased him with her tongue before breaking for air. "But Lyric loves it so... much..." Elena replied, losing thought, then laughing as he teased her neck with his vampire teeth.

They ended up like that together with Elijah holding her against him, taking her time riding him while her feet never touched the ground. Both of them were still clothed.

When Elena moaned she then gasped, suddenly horrified. They were no longer alone in the kitchen.

She slide down her husband's chest, adjusting her jeans while he turned, blocking her from view, while adjusting his own pants.

"Damon, you always pick the most inappropriate times to visit. Do we need to have that discussion again?" Elijah asked tonelessly, however the warning was still clear in his voice. Elena's arms soon wrapped around her husband from behind and she kissed the back of his neck before settling her head against his shoulder.

"What do you want, Damon?" Elena then asked, clearly annoyed as well.

"I found this on our front lawn. Thought I'd share it with you both," Damon then said, before lifting up a soggy looking card board box and opening it up to reveal a very dead looking heart.

"Leaving your dinner laying around, Damon?" Elijah teased distastefully.

"Give it a whiff," Damon then shot back. "I don't know about you, but I don't drink hybrid for my supper."

Elijah did just that before stepping back. "It appears that my brother was not successful in his latest attempt to make a hybrid without Elena's blood." Elijah then took a moment to look back at Elena, obvious concern showing on his handsome face. "This means that he will be coming for you, my love." He told her.

"Then whats the plan?" Damon then insisted and Elijah glared at him.

"I do not need your services to protect my family, Mr. Salvatore," Elijah then scowled. "Leave, now, while you still can. My wife will contact you, when or if she ever wants too."

Elena frowned at Damon as he reluctantly left the house.

"Even now, he cannot bare to leave you in peace," Elijah then snapped. Elena wasn't certain if he was talking about Damon or Klaus.

**Author's note: I got this started. I do hope to still update often, but I will still be taking a bit of a break. I hope you enjoy it! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Elijah had asked Merrick to take Lyric to the Saltzman house for a few days while he figured out what they should do about Klaus. Alaric had agreed to take Lyric on no notice on more than one occasion. His new wife, Rachel, the woman he had begun seeing a time after his wife Bonnie had died, seemed to adore Lyric as much as Alaric did himself. It made Elijah feel comfortable in leaving Lyric in their company, if only for a short time.

Lyric seemed to get along with the Saltzman children as well. Alaric was the father of a son and a daughter. They were the children from his marriage to Bonnie, Elena's high school best friend. Bonnie had died just a few years ago. Always pressing the limits of her power, it had all finally caught up with the witch. Alaric and Bonnie's daughter, now the age of six, was named for Elena. Her older brother, Jack, was almost the age of eight. Both children seemed to like their new stepmother.

Elijah found his wife sitting at the kitchen table, lost in thought. He longingly remembered what they had just been doing in the kitchen, in front of that table, just a few hours ago. Everything had seemed so simple then. They were just a man and a woman, lost in their love and passion for each other. Now they were back to being an original vampire and a doppelganger who had the oldest hybrid in the world after her for her blood. He had changed her into a hybrid before, intent on making her his mate and breeding new hybrids with her. By the use of old magic, he had briefly succeeded. Making Elena believe she was the first Petrova, Elinor, and in love with Klaus. A daughter had been born of that trickery. A daughter who had met a dark fate due to her natural fathers obsession with creating hybrids.

Elena had later in life regained her humanity, and doing so had resulted in another unexpected pregnancy for her. What they could only guess was that the curse used on her had somehow allowed breeding between a vampire and a human. Or at least, for them, that one time. Elena had not become pregnant again since they had reunited. Although neither approached the subject, Elijah knew that Elena would love to have another child of their own.

"What do you think we should do?" She finally asked. Her voice was filled with worry. "Just sit here and wait for him to make another move?"

"I think that perhaps we need to look at the vampire subject again. If you're a vampire, he can't use your blood."

"But Lyric is human. He's just a little boy. Even if I do change, he's always going to be at risk with Klaus."

Elijah looked down, hating to argue this topic with her. He knew how much she loved being human again. He didn't want Elena to lose that. He'd stand by her for the rest of her life, so as long it meant she'd be with him. But it was getting too dangerous for her to remain this way. He thought of forcing her. But he also knew it would mean risk losing Elena forever and that was something he didn't want to do.

Then another thought came to him about Lyric. As he was too young to become a vampire, he was a walking target for Klaus. He would always be at risk as long as he was alive. They had another choice to help protect Lyric, but it would be an impossible choice to make.

Elena would never be accepting of it, and if Elijah were honest with himself, he wasn't certain he could be either.

"What is it?" Elena finally insisted, sounding concerned.

"We could arrange for Lyric to live else where. It would remove him from Mystic Falls and from the reach of Klaus."

Elena immediately looked horrified at the suggestion. After all they had been through as a family, this would simply be too much. She could not lose another child, even if it only meant giving him up. "He's our baby, Elijah. Our only baby. He's just a boy... I can't... I just can't give him away..." Elena trailed off, clearly still upset by his suggestion. Tears shined brightly in her eyes with her worry.

Elijah went to her and gathered her in his arms. "I love you," He told her firmly, a whisper in her hair. "We'll get through this. I will keep you both safe."

Elena buried herself in his chest and tried to shut the world away for a little while.

* * *

><p>"You can't believe what Elena said to me today," Rachel Cunningham-Saltzman told her husband while walking into the kitchen of the home they now shared together. She spotted a familiar looking boy seated next to Alaric in the kitchen. The boy was placing green peppers into a dish after Alaric chopped them with a knife. He had a mop of dark brown hair and eyes to match and seemed to consider Rachel for a moment before going back to what he was doing.<p>

Rick smiled at his new wife as he continued to chop. "What happened, honey?"

Rick knew that Rachel was still having difficulty with getting through to his daughter Elena. She liked to make up stories and tell jokes as her expense. His son Jack, however, adored Rachel. Rick just knew that with time Rachel and Elena would get along.

"What's he doing here? Who is that?" Rachel instead asked, clearly annoyed. She looked back at Rick when Lyric smiled at her and waved before continuing to help Rick.

"It's Lyric, you've met him before, honey. Elijah just wanted us to take Lyric for awhile. Elena and him just have some things they got to take care of without this little guy under foot," Alaric playfully bumped into Lyric and the boy laughed.

"But he isn't yours. Why must we always take him?" Rachel then spat darkly. "He's not even family."

Alaric frowned at his wife and stopped chopping before turning and helping Lyric get down to the floor. "Go wash up, kiddo," He told the boy, before turning back to his wife. "Tell Jack and Elena to wash too." When Lyric was gone Alaric moved towards Rachel and took her hand. He brushed back her long dark hair and then kissed her.

"I know I'm not related to the kid, honey. But I've known him and his parents for years. They even named their kid after me. I was his mothers guardian. How could I turn him away?" He asked her softly while playing with her hair, trying to help her calm down and understand why Lyric was important to him.

"Plus, he gets along with Elena and Jack really well. They get a kick out of having him around. They like that Lyric's mom was their mothers best friend. They were so young when Bonnie died. Elena doesn't even remember her, only from what I have told her, and Lyric's mom has told her."

"I'm just not used to having so many kids under foot. I'm not good with them."

"You will be honey," Alaric told his wife softly, before kissing her. "I love you."

Rachel then hugged him, saying nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Nicklaus, it's been awhile. Why are you in my store today?"

The original hybrid smiled seductively at the witch, reaching out to touch her lovely olive skin. "Careful!" warned the witch, her bright blue eyes unusually dark.

"Gabriela, and here I thought you fancied me," teased the original hybrid. "I want to know if you can help me with something. Something that I need.." teased the hybrid, trailing off. His pale skin appeared even more white against his black colored dress shirt.

"What is it, Klaus?" scowled the witch. "You told me that my services were no longer required. That was fifty years ago."

"But a mere eye blink to me, love. I need you to help me catch the doppelgangers blood," The original hybrid continued. "But it will be one nasty spin. Are you up to it?"

"What do I need to do, Nicklaus?" She then asked after a long moment. She did not like where this was going.

"I want you to kill my brother, Elijah. Well, not out right kill. He'll eventually die on his own, if this goes according to plan."

"Come off it," Warned the witch.

"I'm serious. I want you to use the spell that was cast on the doppelganger. I want you to make my brother human."

"Nature doesn't work that way, Klaus. There's always a price."

"I'm willing to risk it. Just this once," Klaus then finished.

"It's your funeral."

* * *

><p>Elijah was in a dream.<p>

Elena was running toward him on a beach. She wore a black t-shirt and white colored pants. Her long hair was down and she looked as young as she did when he first knew her years ago. That fresh, young high school girl who had been the spitting image of his dead paramour, his first bride, even more so than Katerina had.

"I love you," She whispered in his hair as she slipped her arms around him and kissed him as the setting sun touched and warmed their skin. Elena pressed her face into his chest and kissed his bare skin. He felt it. She felt so warm, so alive. Just like the sun.

The sun.

Elijah looked back at the sun and moved away from his wife.

"What is it?" Elena pressed softly, wrapping herself around him. "You feel so warm." She said.

"The sun," He told her, sounding almost afraid. "I can feel it. It's so real."

"It is," Elena answered him. Before she could kiss him he woke up.

* * *

><p>Elijah woke up in bed with the sun basking into the large room from the far windows. It felt good. He also felt hungry. He needed blood.<p>

Elijah, without bothering to dress as he knew that Lyric was still at the Saltzman's, rushed to the kitchen at vampire speed, finding himself suddenly lose balance and crash into the kitchen door. The old wooden door that Elena liked so much shattered instantly into three pieces at his touch. He had hardly touched the door. Sometimes the power of his own strength still amazed himself.

He still felt dizzy. Elena was in the kitchen sitting at the counter. She was staring at him with her mouth open, eating fruit. "You okay?"

She bit into the apple, and Elijah could hear her heart pounding. He could almost sense her blood itself. It called out to him and he longed to drink it.

"Elena," He stuttered. Elijah fell forward slightly. He did not feel well at all.

Elena had hurried over to him and pulled him against her. "You're not looking well. We need to get you to the fridge downstairs. It has fresh.."

"Don't say it," He snapped warningly. "I could hurt you. You should go..."

"No," Elena insisted. "Now come on."

She began leading him to the basement stairs which he ended up losing his balance on. He fell down the last three steps, shattering the last stair into wooden bits.

"Elijah!" His wife cried. It was the last thing he heard before he passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Elena couldn't believe what had just happened to her husband. Bruised and bleeding from his tumble on the stairs, Elijah was now passed out on the sofa downstairs. It had been several minutes since the unusual mishap, and his injuries had not healed.

Some scratches here and there, but they were not getting any better. The bruises on his legs where he had fallen on the most were still visible, and if anything they were getting worse. Elena believed the one was actually swelling. She got water in a dish and cleaned his cuts with a cloth. Elijah had still not awakened by the time she was done, so she decided to call Alaric. She'd call Damon, but she knew that his presence tended to make Elijah uncomfortable. Especially lately.

It took Rick about ten minutes to get to their house outside of Mystic Falls. It took him a few minutes longer to decide that Elijah was simply knocked out and hadn't hit his head hard, and that he should be waking up soon.

"What train ran you over?" Rick chuckled to Elijah as the original started to open his eyes. Elijah focused on Rick and then stared at the small bandages on his skin. Elena had covered him up with a blanket.

"I'm so hungry..." Elijah mumbled, feeling lightheaded.

"Hey, I'm not volunteering," Alaric then chuckled. The man stood up, still looking pretty much the same despite the years that had gone by, all but for some gray hairs on top of his head. Elijah briefly felt jealous of the man.

It had been so long since he had dared to dream of what it would be like to be an old man someday, with his wife by his side. Elena would experience age with time. She was still timeless despite being human now. He would still look the exact same as he did now. The idea still frightened him. That there might be one day where Elena might not exist anymore, leaving himself alone. Their son would go on and have a life, but one day he'd also die.

Suddenly he was afraid of time itself.

"I need food... I need blood..." Elijah went on, feeling suddenly violent with need for blood. He forced himself up and hurried to the kitchen and dived for the fridge door. He went to rip open the bags of blood, but then found that he couldn't.

He wasn't strong enough anymore.

"Elena!" He shouted suddenly. Elijah then moved for the fruit bowl that Elena kept and began eating a banana without pealing it. It felt so good. It had been so long since he had wanted food this way. The need was overpowering. It felt like he hadn't ate anything before. Ever.

"Elena!" Elijah cried again after discovering he wanted orange juice and it tasted divine.

"What's going on with you?" His wife insisted upon bursting into the room with Alaric close behind her. Elena rushed to him and began looking him over. She then reached for a near by apron and insisted he cover himself up. "This isn't good," Elena then said to Alaric.

"I'll say," Alaric replied in agreement, suddenly looking at Elijah as if he had never seen him before.

"What do you think it is?" Elijah breathed heavily, aloud, upon regaining control of his hunger and thirst.

"I'll tell you what I think," Alaric began. "But I don't even believe it."

"What is it?" Elena pressed. Her worry was clear.

"Elijah, I think you're human," Alaric finally said. The silence in the room then was deafening.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Elijah woke again. This time he was laying in his bed and was wearing pajama bottoms. With great embarrassment he realized he had fainted after Alaric said he was human. It simply wasn't possible.

But then again, Elena had been a hybrid like his brother and was now human. So it was possible. If you knew the right kind of witch.

"Elena!" He shouted, suddenly frightened for his wife. If this happened to him, it had to be the work of Nicklaus.

"I'm here," She replied, stepping out of the bathroom. She offered him a cup of water and he took it and drank it greedily.

"Where is Alaric?"

Elena moved to sit on the bed with him, her blue sweater matched her jeans. "He went back to Rachel and the kids. He said that Lyric can stay there for as long as we want."

"I was thinking about that. I feel that we should involve Damon and Stefan in this."

"What, why?" Elena seemed shocked. He smiled for her benefit.

"I cannot protect you, Elena, if this is permanent," He confessed sadly. "Not against Nicklaus. You and Lyric are walking targets. He did this for a reason. To remove me from the picture, so that he can take you away. If you are with the Salvatore's, he will not be expecting that."

"But there has to be another way," Elena protested. "I don't want to leave you. Not like this. You have to come with us."

"Elena, I must find out how this happened, and if it can be reversed. I know who I can contact to find this out. In the mean time, I want you to go to the Salvatore's. Then I know you will be safe while I'm gone."

"Elijah, I'm frightened. I don't want to be separated from you again. I love you," Elena moved on the bed and kissed him. "I don't care what Klaus might do next. We can't live like this."

"But the idea is to live, Elena. If he takes you, you will not have any sort of real life. You'll spend your existence laying in a hospital bed while my brother slowly drains your life away for his hybrids. I do not want that for you. You should be here with Lyric and I. We should be able to live in peace. I have to go and do this. I will get Damon to come over and take you to his home. We can leave Lyric with Alaric until we know more."

Begrudgingly Elena agreed to accept Elijah's wishes. For now.

* * *

><p>"Don't say anything!" Elena told Damon warningly before getting into his black colored car with him. He had been wearing an amused expression on his face since talking to Elena on the phone where she admitted that Elijah wasn't playing a joke and that he was serious. Klaus had a witch cast the curse that turned Elena human on Elijah. Now Elijah was human leaving Elena as a walking target for Klaus and completely unprotected. And Elijah wanted him to step in and protect Elena until he could see if the spell can be reversed. And Stefan too of course.<p>

"Little brother is back at the house waiting for us," Damon told the annoyed former great love of his life. "And Katherine is back again, just so you know," Damon admitted while getting into the drivers side and starting the car.

"Again? I thought she ditched you for a vampire in Tennessee?"

"Nah, she ran away from him after Klaus went hunting for him. She wants a man who's just a vampire. I'm cool like that!"

"She uses you, Damon. She never stays for long," Elena told him, getting tired of hearing how often Katherine walked out on Damon.

"I thought you approved of Katherine and me?" He then teased her as the exited the drive way.

"I did when I thought she wasn't going to up and leave you whenever it strikes her. You deserve better then that, Damon," Elena told him softly.

"I did have better, if you recall," Damon shot back playfully. "But you got away from me too. Had to fall in love with an original and all that."

"Damon, you know that I care about you. I always will. But you deserve more than someone who wants to be with somebody else. You need someone who just wants you."

"Hey, now that super hubby isn't so super anymore, any chance you'll be ditching him anytime soon?"

Elena glared at him in response. "I love him, Damon. That will never change. I don't care what Klaus does."

"Why doesn't he just get somebody to turn him again?"

"What?"

"It was magic that was responsible for this, Damon. Changing might not work and kill him."

"You win some, you lose some," Damon shot back. Elena punched him in the chest.

"Hey, touchy."

"Leave my husband alone, Damon. I meant it!"

"Okay, okay. Whatever."

They drove the rest of the way in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Gabriela had changed very little with time. The one thing that had changed though was her obvious fear of himself. Chicago had been kind to her. Her store was much larger than he remembered.

"My store hours are... Elijah... what are you doing here?" The witch then asked nervously, stepping out from her back room.

"I'm here to see you. I understand that you have been meeting with my brother recently, Nicklaus," Elijah nearly snarled, his threat obvious in his tone.

"Klaus was here a couple of days ago. We caught up on a few things, that's all," Gabriela said and tried to laugh off his questioning.

"What did you _do for him_, Gabriela?" Elijah said, his tone simply threatening now.

"What ever do you mean? You know that I would never... " The witches words were then cut off, and she could no longer breath. She fell to her knees quickly, glaring at Elijah in shock.

"I would not presume so easily that simply because you cured my vampirism curse that I would no longer be of any threat to you," Elijah began, choosing his words carefully. "I too know your kind and my friends are very loyal to me. Now tell me what you did and how to reverse it, and I will tell my friend outside to release the hold he has on your wind pipe. Your choice, and you do not have long to make it."

"The mirror spell..." The witch gasped. "It was the mirror spell. It binds your vampire side to your mirror twin."

"What on earth do you mean, Gabriela? I am growing impatient and that is a dangerous thing."

"It creates a doppelganger of you who will be cursed with your vampire nature while you live as a human."

"When does this happen?" Elijah snarled viciously in the witches face.

"It already has. Nicklaus came here to have me complete the curse and bind it."

"What?" Elijah was shocked. He too had a doppelganger of himself and he was cursed with the most dangerous side of his existence because of this foolish witch. "Where is my doppelganger now?"

"He's been already born," spoke the witch, holding her neck. "Please..." She then begged.

"Not until you tell me who it is and where I can find him."

"It's your boy. It's your son, Elijah. Why do you think that your wife had been able to conceive?"

"He's my son!" Elijah then snarled, furious. He refused to believe that his own son, his wife's dream come true, was actually his own doppelganger. And he was now a vampire. Or would be, very soon.

"No, Elijah," said the witch. "He's you."

Elijah fell to his knees before the witch. How could he ever tell Elena?

"Reverse the spell. Make him normal again!" Elijah then pleaded.

"I cannot. It will kill you. And Klaus won't have that."

"I don't care. Reverse it, or you die."

".. No..."

Elijah then stood up and moved towards the door. He was done arguing with the woman. He knew what needed to be done now and what they had to look for.

"Goodbye, Gabriela. It was nice knowing you." Elijah then slammed shut the store door and Gabriela's lifeless body hit the floor with a smack.

"We need to get back to Mystic Falls," Elijah told the male witch who had been waiting for him at the car.

"No problem," He said.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

She smelled so nice. Jack liked her, so she must be a nice lady, right?

Lyric Gilbert seemed to consider this upon continuing being able to smell the nice lady, Alaric's wife, who was washing dishes inside the Saltzman family kitchen at the large sink. She was dressed in a pretty red shirt and blue jeans, reminding him a bit of his mom who favored jeans and a shirt often for clothes.

She cried out a word that he wasn't allowed to use and he giggled slightly. Lyric quickly frowned, however, upon it coming very clear that the nice lady was bleeding. He could smell the blood from across the room from his seat at the kitchen table where he had been drawing.

"Rachel?" He asked curiously. "You okay?"

"Oh, damn," She cursed again, remembering that he was here and she wasn't alone. "Sorry, Lyric, I cut my finger on a knife. I'm okay though..."

She had no time to finish her sentence because Lyric had decided to catch the blood drops before they fell from her fingers. He was before her in a flash and she screamed and knew no more.

* * *

><p>"Elena here?" Asked Alaric Saltzman, bursting through the front door of the Salvatore house. He had Elena and Elijah's six-year-old son in his arms. He set the boy down in front of Stefan who was sitting on the sofa reading a thick book. "Sit, please," He told the boy who looked uncharacteristically frightened. Lyric sat beside Stefan, saying nothing.<p>

"Whats happened?" Stefan asked.

"Lyric vamped out and bit Rachel on the fingers. She fainted from shock and won't admit what happened. I need Elena to take Lyric back. I can't let him be around the kids and Rachel until we know whats going on."

"Elena!" shouted Stefan before moving away from the staircase and back into the living room. Elena appeared a few seconds later, hurrying down the stairs upon seeing Alaric standing with Stefan.

"Whats going on?" Elena asked immediately upon seeing Lyric sitting still on the sofa.

"Elena, I don't know how to tell you this, but your kid is a vampire," Alaric admitted strait out. "He bit Rachel and nearly bit me on the way over here."

"What?" Elena stared at her son in horror and confusion. "There has to be some mistake, Rick. He's human. He was born human," Elena decided, turning back to her former guardian.

"I'm not joking around here, Elena. That kid is a vampire."

"But how... how could this have happened?" She whispered weakly.

"It's likely something to do with what ever is going on with Elijah," said Stefan.

"Yeah, it likely is," Rick agreed, sounding sad. He then turned to Elena.

"Can you look up something, find out what did this?" pleaded Elena.

"I'll go to my old apartment. I kept it up. I couldn't tell Rachel..." Rick trailed off before turning around and going out the front door.

Elena went over hesitantly to Lyric and then embraced her son fiercely and kissed the top of his head. "Everything is going to be okay," She promised him. "You hungry?"

"Am I really a vampire mommy?"

Elena let the question hang in the air, saying nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So the kid is a vampire. It's not the end of the world, you know," offered Damon, trying to be helpful but Elena wasn't having any of it. "Stefan and I will help him out, show him the ropes."

"Damon, have you ever seen a vampire child before?" Elena asked, sounding annoyed again.

"I have heard of it," replied Stefan, sitting on the sofa beside Elena. "Lexi told me about a girl she took in once. She was twelve at the time she was turned. It's more difficult on a child, but they can learn how to deal with it."

Elena teared up at hearing the child's age. Lyric was half that age, and just a little boy. He knew nothing about the supernatural world that he had been born into. Now he was apart of it all, like it or not.

She hugged herself and Stefan put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "You alright?" He asked softly.

"I just want my family to get our lives back. First Elijah, and now this," whispered Elena, unable to hide the fear that threatened to take her over.

"We'll get through this," Damon promised, standing before them. "We always do, don't we?"

"This is different Damon. My family could die because of me. Even Elijah," replied Elena, her voice hard.

A loud knock could then be heard from the front door and Elena ran to the front door and opened it. She hoped that more than anything it would be Elijah. She needed him with her. It was like a crushing weight striking her lungs every time she heard something new about what could be wrong with her son.

She sighed, happily, reaching for the door handle and opened it to find someone there she had never seen before. It was a distinguished, handsome looking, older gentleman, reminding her too cruelly of her husband. But this was no average gentleman, her instincts told her. It was like death itself had come calling at her door. She felt the fear coming back in waves at the mere sight of this man.

"Who are you?" Elena managed to whisper weakly. She felt Stefan and Damon standing not too far behind her.

"You must be the doppelganger of that Petrova wench that I ran into," He quipped, looking her over with curiosity. "Entirely human, but... ah. Your blood is still strong," The gentleman said. "My sons must be besotted with _you_," He then sneered, his face never changing from that curious look. "Where is Elijah?"

"I'm not telling you anything until you say who you are," Elena told the vampire carefully, trying not to tremble before him.

"I'm Elijah's father, and I'm here to help," He then offered, sounding kinder than he had before. "I'm Mikael." Mikael then extended his hand to her.

Not knowing what else to do, Elena took the extended hand and shook it. "Come in, please." She said.

Damon stared at her in horror. "Are you crazy?"

"Technically, I still own your house, remember?" Elena shot back.

Elena then lead the way into the living room.

* * *

><p>"So, how can you help us?" Elena asked Mikael directly once they were all seated inside the living room.<p>

"Nicklaus needs to be killed and I can do it."

"How can you do it? He can't be killed," Elena argued swiftly. "Klaus has done so many things to my family, my friends, me. We have never been able to stop him for long."

"I have a weapon in my possession that can permanently kill an original. And I will use it to kill Nicklaus. He needs to be stopped before he can use you to create his hybrids."

"How do you know all of this?" interjected Stefan. "How can you be the one to kill him? Elijah has never once said anything about you. He lead us to believe he was the only surviving member of his family, accept for Klaus."

"I have heard of the deaths of Edward and Claudia," Mikael replied, interrupting. "Most unfortunate. But my son Elijah is not the last of his family. I was disposed of by Nicklaus seventy years ago and one of his witches. They sealed me inside of a tomb near Mystic Falls. Katerina Petrova was the one who discovered me. Some dim wit employed by Nicklaus revealed my location to her."

"Where is Katherine now?" interrupted Damon, glaring.

"Ah, recovering, but well. I have not fed in some time. You must forgive me."

"You feed on vampires?" Stefan said incredulously.

Damon suddenly stood up and slowly walked a safe distance from the sofa.

"Yes. Should I feed on the innocent instead?" replied the original. "Don't worry. Your Katerina will be alright," He told Damon. "I do not usually kill when I feed."

"Oh, that's alright then" Damon said rolling his eyes.

"So how can you kill Klaus?" insisted Elena.

"I will brand the weapon and kill him. However I will need you all to help draw him out." 

"Just how precisely do you intend to do that, father?" asked a familiar voice suddenly by the front door. Elena looked up and smiled. Elijah was back.

"The most simple course of action is obvious. We kill you, and Elena surrenders herself."

"What?" Elena said, instantly upset. "Elijah can't do that. If he dies..."

Mikael seemed to consider his son for a moment. "Elijah, how on earth were you so foolish..."

"The witch who performed the spell refused to assist me in reversing it. Our son is also affected," Elijah admitted, surprising Elena. She never told him about Lyric for fear he would betray them.

Mikael listened to Elijah carefully and then stared at Elena in horror. "You breed with her?"

"She is my wife, father. My mate. It is a long story, but yes, we have a child together. He has taken on the aspects of the vampire, while I have become … human."

Mikael frowned at that, even looked sad. "A vampire child... you must stay away from him," He then said to Elena, instantly sending her on the defensive. "He will not be able to control himself," He then admitted to the others in the room. "Not for some time to come."

"Let us worry about our son," Elijah countered swiftly, before going to Elena and kissing her cheek. "And you expect me to die to make your plan work. How?"

"We let him believe it's true and hope he falls for it."

"Klaus won't fall for it," Stefan said. "He won't believe it and he will have Elena because he'll take her."

Elijah looked to Elena carefully, trying to wordlessly judge what she wanted to do. "Lets do it," She agreed. Elijah nodded. He sat beside her.

"I hope you know how to contact him," Elijah spoke to Mikael.

"I have my ways," He smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

It took Mikael three days to get a message to Klaus. Klaus had agreed to go to Mystic Falls to confirm that Elijah was dead. He seemed hesitant to believe that Mikael killed Elijah. Elijah always seemed to be his favorite son in life, always ready to favor Elijah over his other sons.

Elena had been surprised to hear that from her husband, although she knew that happened in families. Her own parents, her adopted family, had always took steps to ensure there was no favoritism when it came to herself and Jeremy. They were always treated the same.

The plan was that Elena surrendered herself upon hearing of Elijah's _death, _fearing for the life of her son and her remaining loved ones. Stefan had _gone out of town _upon Elena choosing to reunite with Elijah a year ago and never returned. Damon had fled town with Katherine upon Elijah's return to Elena's life, fearing to challenge the original for her affections. Well, that was the story that Elena was sticking too. It was what Damon had compelled into her mind before fleeing to the Gilbert family cabin in the woods until Klaus returned. Stefan had gone with him.

Klaus wanted to create more hybrids, more than anything else. He had made several failed attempts over the last several years. Their own daughter, Claudia, named for the originals sister, had been his first major victim. Klaus had impregnated Elena, years ago, upon convincing her with the use of magic that she was his former love Elinor. Elinor had secretly become a vampire and died, living out the rest of her life, far away from Klaus and Elijah. Elinor had been the original Petrova used in the first sacrifice.

Elijah would pretend to be dead. He was waiting down stairs in the Salvatore basement, prepared to pretend to be a corpse. Mikael would then hopefully have the advantage over Klaus and use his weapon to kill him. The very idea that Klaus may never be able to bother them again was overwhelmingly wonderful.

She would live out the rest of her life with Elijah, her human life, with her human husband by her side if need be.

Perhaps they would even have more children. Elena was getting older, however thanks to her life as a hybrid, she still had the appearance of someone in their mid twenties. It had slowed down her aging process. Elena was prepared for it to eventually catch up with her.

The door bell rang and Mikael prepared to answer the front door. Elena hid further back in the main living room, standing behind a book shelf. She would not reveal herself until the right time.

She suddenly felt all so human and it was not a nice feeling to have. She was so exposed, so vulnerable.

And Elijah was now just as vulnerable as she was herself. No longer a vampire, and suddenly human.

Klaus entered the living room and he insisted upon seeing Elijah and herself. Elena took the moment to reveal herself. He would smell her from across the room, after all.

"And what may I do for you, lovely?" Klaus scowled, looking her over.

"I'm ready to surrender myself. If you will leave my son alone."

"It's about time you came to your senses. Better late than not at all," said Klaus, before turning back to Mikael. "Take me to him, father. I want to make certain that Elijah is dead."

Klaus then turned back to Elena suddenly, startling her in her tracks. "I would still be here when we return, if you value the life of your son as much as you say."

"I'm not going anywhere," Elena agreed.

Elena watched father and son exit to the basement stairs. She then hurried towards the kitchen to meet the guest that Elijah had brought home with him. "You sure you can do this?" asked Elena. She gave her namesake a concerned look, and then turned to Alaric who had brought his daughter to the Salvatore house. "You can do this honey," promised Alaric.

His daughter, _Elena_, had recently begun studying magic with the assistance of her maternal grandmother after silently casting a spell on her brother that made zits pop out every where on his arms. It had taken a week to cure Jack completely.

His daughter planned to cast a simple binding spell, one that would give Mikael the chance he needed to kill Klaus.

Young Elena smiled hard and then began to read from the spell book in front of her.

* * *

><p>It was Elijah who had killed his brother with the only weapon forged to permanently kill an original. Klaus had caught on to what Mikael had planned for him and had managed to disarm Mikael and kill him. Elijah took the chance and attacked Klaus from behind, fighting him for the weapon. He succeeded in finally killing Klaus. However it also meant that Elijah may never find the spell to restore his vampire nature, leaving him human.<p>

Elijah had withdrew from Elena after killing Klaus and getting rid of the bodies of Mikael and Klaus. Almost his entire family was dead and gone forever. Edward, Claudia, and now Klaus and his own father. Humanity suddenly seemed like a frightening future. One that Elena was afraid to face. Elijah promised to return in a few days. He wanted to see what or if anything could be done to help their son. A child that they had no hope of properly caring for if they failed in curing his new vampire nature.

Elijah believed the spell used on Lyric had been the same spell that had been used to make Elijah and his entire family vampires. It was some comfort knowing that their son, only a six-year-old boy in appearance, was likely the strongest vampire in the world for the moment. Elijah had no idea if his remaining siblings were still alive.

Elena entered the Salvatore living room, surprised to see her son standing in the center of the room. Stefan and Damon had returned, promising to help look after Lyric for her until Elijah returned.

"You okay honey?" smiled Elena. Lyric had a look about him that reminded her so much of Elijah. It made her smile seeing so much of Elijah in their son.

"I'm hungry, mommy," Lyric confessed.

"Well, lets get you some blood bags. That will make it okay," Elena said, encouraging her son to follow her.

Elena never made it to the hall before Lyric lunged for her neck, biting fiercely, making her scream in horror and pain.

Elena thought to scream again, but nothing came out. Slowly, she was falling to the floor, her son handling her like a rag doll. The room was spinning. Elena felt her life draining away from her and there was nothing she could do. Lyric was too strong.

Before Elena passed out, she thought she heard Stefan shouting for her. She came too, feeling Stefan holding her in his arms. He was crying. Perhaps she was dead. Or dying. Elena wasn't certain. She then seen Damon standing over them. She couldn't see her son anywhere.

"Damon, please," Elena began, wanting to see her son.

"Do it," Damon then barked to Stefan.

"What? Are you insane? She'll become a vampire," Stefan spat accusingly.

"Do it," Damon insisted again.

Did she want to become a vampire again? Elena knew it might be for the best. She could protect her family after all.

"Please," She said to Damon again.

Damon, hesitated only briefly before pulling Stefan away from her, feeding her his blood from his wrist, and he then snapped her neck before Stefan had time to realize what was happening.

"It was the only way, Stefan," Damon insisted. "She would have died because of what that kid did."

"That was her choice," He argued.

"One she didn't have enough time to make," Damon shot back.

"Elijah will kill you for this," Stefan replied.

"Not if I kill him first," Damon said.

The two Salvatore brothers paused, both realizing that option was now open to them. If Elijah tried to get in their way, they would have no choice but to kill him. Elijah may be human now, but he still knew people that would do the dirty work for him.

"What can we do about Lyric?" asked Stefan after a long silence.

"We keep him locked up in the basement until we know Elena is okay."

"What if it didn't work?"

"It had too," Damon said uneasily. He couldn't lose her. He just couldn't.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

It was dark.

It was all that Elena could see when she opened her eyes. She gasped in shock upon the light appearing in the room. Everything that had been dark was suddenly so blindingly bright. Clearer than anything she had every seen before.

Well, not since the time she had become a hybrid.

Then it hit her with unyielding force, an unforgiving like brutality.

She was a vampire. Elena could feel it, from every part of her body. Her blood sang to her, and she wanted to drink it.

"Elena, you're awake," said Stefan.

Elena moved, jumped off the bed she was laying on in shock at hearing a voice in the room. No one was in the room with her.

The bedroom door then opened and Stefan stepped through. He frowned at her. "I'm sorry, Elena. We felt it best that you wake up alone until you found out what had happened."

"Where's Lyric?" Elena insisted, nearly shouting. "And who the hell did this to me?"

"Damon stepped in and killed you after giving you his blood. He said he heard you say you wanted to be changed."

Did she really want that? Impossible! Elena couldn't remember anything that had happened during her change. "Where's Lyric and Elijah?" She asked again.

"Lyric is being kept in the basement. We felt it best in case something went wrong with your change. I'll move him up here with you now we know that you're alright."

"You kept my son in the freaking basement?" Elena winced at the sound of her own voice. She was still shouting. Her hearing wasn't fully adjusted yet to her change into a vampire.

"Sorry, Elena. We felt it best since he attacked you. We couldn't risk him escaping. The only reason he hasn't is because he hasn't figured out a way too yet."

"Where's Elijah?" Elena pressed, ignoring what he said about her son. She'd take care of him now and she wouldn't need any help.

"He still hasn't returned yet, but he left a message that he'd be contacting you soon. Elijah thinks he found a witch that might be able to help Lyric."

Elena nodded, then noticed her hands started to shake. "I need blood," She said, fighting to speak.

"I'll get you some blood bags. It will be okay, Elena."

Stefan was gone, leaving her alone in the bedroom. Elena finally broke down and cried. Would Elijah ever accept their role reversal if no spell could help him? Would she truly be able to look after Lyric as a vampire while having a human husband?

Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>Elena awakened the next morning and headed down stairs inside the Salvatore house. She was dressed within an eye blink. It was one ability about being a vampire that she had missed. And using vampire speed for more personal use as well. Elena knew it was too early to go there yet. Elijah didn't even know what had happened to her. It was much too soon to say <em>honey, can we try this in the bedroom next? <em>She didn't know if Elijah would want to take that step if his vampire nature could not be restored.

Would he want her this way? She had been a vampire and a hybrid for much of their marriage, however this was different. Elijah had never been human before while she had been this way.

Elena stepped into the living room and was immediately hit with a familiar, intoxicating smell. It took her a moment to realize where it was coming from. Her husband was waiting for her, seated on the sofa, and he smelled wonderful. Elijah stood and stopped cold upon seeing her face.

He knew. She didn't even have to say anything and he knew she was no longer human just by looking at her.

"Oh, love, I'm so sorry," He whispered in a sad, broken voice. Elijah felt like he had failed her. Her greatest wish was gone forever. Her humanity had been taken from her, leaving all the was left, a vampire.

Elena sped towards him, standing before Elijah before he could blink. "You didn't do this. It had to be done, or I would have died. Lyric is... he's having a hard time controlling things. He didn't mean too," Elena pleaded on behalf of their son. Her tone soothing, but it seemed not to help Elijah deal with this new information.

"Elena, we should be able to help Lyric," Elijah replied instead after a long silence. "I brought a witch by the name of Helen Bennett. She is a distant cousin to your old friend Bonnie. She feels she will be able to help him."

Elena blinked, overjoyed, and then hugged Elijah close who still looked so sad. "What is it?" She finally dared to ask.

"Elena, the curse done on myself will be reversed as well if everything goes right with the casting of the spell," Elijah managed to say, however his tone still broke her heart.

"What aren't you telling me?" Elena whispered, blinking back tears.

"I found out some other information about Lyric, in regard to his birth. I did not share this with you before as I felt it did not matter. We loved him, and he was our boy."

"What are you saying, Elijah?" Elena insisted, her tone hard now.

"Lyric is my human born doppelganger. He was created because of the spell that Klaus had used. He was born to you because you were made human again, and were also a doppelganger of Katerina. The spell was drawn to you because of your blood. As Lyric is my doppelganger, and because of the spell that was used, the curse affected him as well. And when we reverse it for him, he will have his humanity again."

"But you're already human, Elijah... how will that affect the spell?" Elena demanded.

Elijah looked to the floor. "The spell will give Lyric my humanity," He said.

"What aren't you telling me?" Elena nearly growled, impatient.

"The spell will either give me back my vampire nature, or it will give Lyric my humanity. Either way, Lyric will survive. He'll become human again. Myself, however, may not survive the spell."

"What?" Elena was stunned, her senses overwhelming her all at once. "No. No. It can't. I'll make you a vampire again, and everything will be alright," She said, promising while fighting not to cry.

"Elena," Elijah began gently, reaching for her and drawing her close. "If I consume vampire blood at any point, before or after the spell, this will not work. I will die, and our boy will remain a vampire. He'll never grow up, Elena. Vampire children usually do not live a long time."

"But, I can't lose you either," Elena declared tearfully. "I love you, Elijah. We just got back together. I can't go on without you."

"I love you, my lovely, sweet Elena," Elijah promised her, cupping her chin and kissing her deeply. "My love for you is timeless. But I cannot allow our son to meet this fate. I don't care if he's not naturally our son, but I cannot allow this fate to befall him. Neither can you, love, and you know it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue**

Helen had been successful with reversing the spell that had made Elijah human. She had took everyone to the front yard of the Salvatore mansion, creating a spectacular light show with the magic she had worked. Damon had stood with Elena while Stefan kept a careful watch on Lyric as the spell was performed. Mother and son were essentially both a newborn vampire, and both were struggling with their hunger. It was a great personal risk to Helen for her to even be here, let alone help them.

The witch told them that nature would insist on a consequence to the events that had played out. Elijah had been given a great and rare gift, and he had let it go to save a vampire child from being doomed forever to immortality. His own doppelganger.

They said if one lived long enough you would eventually meet yourself. In Elena's own case, she feared what the answer would truly be for her. She had met her own doppelganger at the age of seventeen and she had died before the age of twenty. Now she was again a vampire. Perhaps her destiny was the same as Katherine's after all. Was she meant to be this way all along?

They had moved to the house Elijah had purchased originally upon his first arriving to Mystic Falls nearly thirty years ago. It was out of the way where they would be left alone, but not too far from town.

Elijah was again adjusting to regaining something that he had lost. He was happy for the return of his vampire nature. While he had enjoyed regaining his humanity, he had spent most of his life being a vampire. It was difficult to lose those senses. Almost too difficult.

Lyric was again human. He was convinced it was all a bad dream. Vampires were again something in fairy tale books. Not something that could either hurt or kill you. Elena was fixed to tell their son the truth when he grew up. But he would be given the chance to live with that sweet innocence that had been both lost to his mother and father at too early an age. Elijah had compelled the truth away, for now. Lyric, for now, could simply enjoy being a boy.

Damon and Katherine had again reunited. Elena hoped for Damon's sake that it would stick this time for them. Both were a free, wild spirit, so time would only tell for them. Stefan had decided to go back to Europe for a few years. It had been too long since he had been on his own, free from his brother. He would always love Damon, but both brothers needed the chance to exist separately.

Elijah had promised Elena they could remain in Mystic Falls for a few more years, but then they would have to move on. People were already noticing that Elena had aged very little in the past thirty years. Soon they would notice that she was the same as she always was while her former classmates had wrinkles and gray hair, and were starting to enjoy their grandchildren.

The witch had promised a consequence to their actions. So far, there weren't any.

It was three years later that the consequence had happened. It had sliced Elena like a knife.

Her brother and his new wife had been killed on the bridge in town. Their car had went off the road, into the water. Jeremy's children had been in the car with them. They did not survive either.

It had been the accident all over again for Elena. The loss of her parents, Grayson and Miranda, so eerily similar. But the difference being that there had been at least one survivor of that wreak. Elena had walked away from the accident, unharmed, thanks to Stefan.

Lyric was officially the last living member of their family. It was a cold fact that chilled Elena because she was happy that her son had been spared such a terrible fate. Was this the consequence that the witch had promised?

Two years later, the Smith family left Mystic Falls forever. They had moved to Paris.

It was there that Elena heard that her first love, Matt Donovan, had died of a heart attack. A year later, Alaric Saltzman had died. A new vampire had killed him and his wife. His children, now young teenagers, were living with Alaric's sister. Elena had wanted to visit them, but Elijah had talked her out of it. Too much time had passed. He had said. Elena had to agree. She couldn't explain why she still looked to be in her late twenties unless she told them the truth. It was simply not her place, and she was no longer apart of their lives. They were well past the time where a break had to be made.

When Lyric was fourteen he finally noticed that his parents still looked the same. They had begun to explain, ready to tell the truth, but he had ultimately refused to hear it.

When Lyric was seventeen, he moved back to the States and to Mystic Falls to attend college. He kept in contact by writing letters every few months. The last letter came, explaining that he was graduating soon and had married his long time girlfriend, Amanda Bremen. He admitted he knew that his parents were vampires, and while tempting, he didn't want that life for himself. Elena had never felt more proud of Lyric.

Fifty years later, Elena had went back to Mystic Falls, wanting to know what had become of her son. Lyric and Amanda had married and settled in Mystic Falls. Lyric had become the new history teacher at the high school, while Amanda was the art teacher. They had three children, five grandchildren by the time they had died of old age. Elijah Gilbert, their youngest son, had become a writer.

While Elena couldn't have been more proud about how the Gilbert family had managed to survive some terrible losses, she had finally come to realize what the witch had meant.

The consequence they had faced was time itself.

**The End**

**Author's note: This will likely be the final story of my Dawn series, however, I still do intend to write something else, soon. I hoped you all enjoyed it and thanks for reading. ** :)


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